Our Adventure on the Trans Siberian Railway

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Many people ask me "Why I decided to go on the Trans-Siberian Railway?" I often think to myself why not?!?! I tend to struggle on the spot when answering this question because there are so many reasons why I decided to travel from Moscow to Beijing by Train. After doing a lot of research and reading many blogs, the route we took is known to be the most interesting Trans-Siberian route to take. The weekly Trans-Mongolian train leaves every tuesday night from Moscow to Beijing. This 7,621km, which is equivalent to 4,735 miles, takes 6 nights to complete. Many people will ask, "How bored were you?" The truth is, I ran out of time on the train, I wish I had more time on the train. The scenery took up a lot of our time. This train crosses Siberia, cuts across Mongolia, and the Gobi desert, then enters China. When an individual chooses to travel by plane, they often lose the opportunity to experience what nature has to offer. We had the chance of seeing Lake Baikal, the world's deepest freshwater lake. Heading south from Ulan Bator, more grassy steppe and wild flowers as the train heads for the Gobi Desert. Many times you can spot yurts, the tents used by the nomads on the Mongolian Gobi. The scenery was breath taking and I would not have changed it for anything.

Monday, January 13, 2014

After three flights and countless hours, I am finally home. I slept all day Sunday and finally woke up this morning at 7:00am. Back to reality... already doing laundry and unpacking... Not as fun as traveling the world. Take me back! Goodbye adventures, that is for now! Emma and I are already making a list of our next adventure!

In the middle of the night Sophie and I got a little hungry and spotted some chocolate. We decided to open it and have a few peices. When I woke up I had chocolate all over me and all in my bed. Five minutes later I lost my toothpaste in my bed and couldn't find it. Well lucky me, it was in my bed right along with the chocolate! Thank goodness I was able to get new sheets.

Friday, January 3, 2014

I'm having a great time. The train is powered by coal and is one used during the Cold War. I have had a lot of time to read, relax, and reflect on life. I haven't had any wi-fi for a few days so I sent info by text to my mom to post.

So I have realized I was much to worried about clothes for the -10 degree weather at stops and didn't pack appropriately for the 85 degree train, an all wool wardrobe has been challenging. We are eating granola bars, noodles, & water. Tomorrow we will cross into Mongolia and they will switch out our Russian dining car for a Mongolian dining car.

We will see the worlds oldest & deepest freshwater lake called Lake Baikal. http://www.lakebaikal.org/

Our view consists of birch trees & miles & miles of snow & sometimes houses. We spend most of our time reading.

I continue to be excited about what adventure is around each corner. I will update more when I have wi-fi.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

My time in Moscow has been filled with many emotions. On a normal day some people can travel with no worries at all and other people worry. I am one that double checks behind her shoulder more then she needs to. I have always leaned more on the safe side. I think things through and sometimes too much & it interferes with my chance to have fun. Through the years I have gained experiences that have made me realize that it is important to live life to the fullest. What's a half lived life? It's nothing at all. I still have to push myself to come out of my safe bubble. This is why I have travelled hundred of miles and find myself sitting in a hotel, in Russia, waiting for a taxi on New Year's Eve, where we will catch a bus to get on the Tran Siberian Railway. Many people have asked me, "why are you in Russia while terriost attacks are happening?" I cannot live in a safe bubble my whole life. Bad things happen in the United States and can even happen in the mall where I work or on my campus where I go to school. Anyone or anything can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. All I can say, hope, and pray for is that god will watch over me and the other girls and will help us through our adventure. We deserve just to have the time of our life. We have talked about this for several years and have been planning for the past year. So what we have done to ensure we are safe was to become extra aware of our surroundings. Plus Moscow has increased security due to the attacks and New Year's Eve. We continue to have the time of our lives and are enjoying the gorgeous views that Moscow has to offer.

Monday, December 30, 2013

After arriving at the airport at 4:45am, by bus, we went inside to check-in for our flight but first we wanted to make sure all of our bags fit the requirement. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky, which is weird because I actually measured mine. My frame of my backpack was what was preventing it from qualifying as a carry on. I took out a jacket and put on another pair of socks and put back on my snow boots. My outfit even looked more interesting!

We made it through security and checked luggage without a problem. We all four slept on the plane for a few hours. When we landed in Moscow it was 3:00pm.

After finding a safe taxi stand we negotiated a price, since there was no meter. Emma did her research and knew what it should cost from the airport to the hotel, so we knew we were not getting ripped off. It took almost two hours to get to the hotel. The traffic was horrible and the way they drive here is insane!! I would be the best driver in town!!! We finally got to the hotel. We checked in, freshened up and headed out to see the city.

The city was magical. We were so glad we were able to see it at night. The Christmas lights were every where! Sophia was determined to find the "Lollipop Palace" and of course we ran right into it. I cannot even describe the buildings architecture. It is absolutely breath taking. The pictures never do it justice.